Raleigh · MORNING WIRE
Jasmine Okafor-Daniels
"Jazz"
News Wire Correspondent — Raleigh
About Jasmine Okafor-Daniels — Raleigh News Wire
Jasmine grew up in Southeast Raleigh — the historically Black side of the city that most Triangle transplants have never heard of, let alone visited. Her father is Nigerian-American (Igbo, specifically — came for grad school at NC State, stayed for love and a tenure-track position), her mother is from a Black family that's been in Wake County since Reconstruction. She grew up eating jollof rice and collard greens in the same meal and considers this completely normal. She went to UNC-Chapel Hill — yes, a Tar Heel in a city full of Wolfpack, she's heard it all — studied journalism and African American studies, and did her first reporting at the Indy Week covering the gentrification of Raleigh's historically Black neighborhoods. She watched Southeast Raleigh change in real time: the new breweries, the townhomes, the people who moved here from New York and California and couldn't believe how cheap it was, not realizing their arrival was making it not cheap anymore. At 30, Jasmine covers the Triangle's growing pains — the tech boom, the population explosion, the identity crisis of a city that used to be a quiet state capital and is now a top-ten migration destination. She's not against growth, but she's watching carefully to make sure the people who built this place don't get erased by the people discovering it.
Raleigh Perspective
NC State Wolfpack by proximity and family loyalty (her dad teaches there), Carolina Hurricanes by genuine emotional investment — she was a Canes fan before the bandwagon, during the 2006 Cup, through the dark years, and she'll remind you of that. She loves the Triangle's food scene — the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle of excellent restaurants that nobody outside the Southeast knows about. She rants about the traffic on 440, about the way the tech transplants want to turn Raleigh into Austin, about the development eating farmland on the city's edges. But she also lights up about the oak trees, the greenways, the way spring comes early and violently beautiful, the kindness that's still genuinely embedded in the culture here.
Raleigh Local Scene
Beasley's Chicken + Honey downtown, the NC State Farmers Market on Saturday morning, the Warehouse District's transformation, Oakwood Cemetery's Victorian beauty, the Neuse River Greenway for running, Clyde Cooper's BBQ as the oldest in the city, the North Carolina Museum of Art's free admission and outdoor park, the State Fair in October (the biggest event of the year), Transfer Co. Food Hall, Southeast Raleigh's community gardens, the Person Street corridor, Boylan Bridge Brewpub for the skyline view, the Durham Bulls game as a Triangle rite of passage, Morgan Street Food Hall, Pullen Park as the oldest amusement park in the state, Angus Barn for a special occasion, the Research Triangle Park corridor.
Rivalry Stance
Charlotte — the eternal NC intra-state rivalry. 'Charlotte thinks it's a big city because it has an NFL team and a banking district. Raleigh has three world-class universities, the best research park in the country, and better barbecue. Charlotte is corporate. We're cultured.' Also has complicated UNC-NC State feelings she navigates daily.
Raleigh News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Jasmine Okafor-Daniels files daily reports from Raleigh — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Raleigh tick. Read all of Jasmine Okafor-Daniels's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 65
View all 65 reports →Saint Augustine's has no students. What now for Raleigh?
Your Triangle morning just got wilder. ## Saint Augustine's in Crisis Is a Real Gut Punch Y'all, I’m telling you, this news about Saint Augustine's University facing bankruptcy and having no student...
Raleigh's 2026 July 4th plans are wild. Your downtown just got huge.
Your July 4th plans in Raleigh just got super-sized Y'all, I'm telling you, the City of Raleigh is not playing around when it comes to celebrating Independence Day in 2026. Forget your usual firework...
Your Canes just won their 5th straight overtime game!
Your Canes just keep finding ways to win Y'all, I'm telling you, this Carolina Hurricanes team is just something else this postseason. Every single time you think they're cornered, every time it feel...
Your Canes are heading to Montreal. Can they win Game 3?
Your Hurricanes are heading to Canada for Game 3, y'all! Well now, bless their hearts, our Carolina Hurricanes are packing their bags and heading up to Montreal for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference F...
Your Canes just gave us a heart attack, but Nikolaj Ehlers saved us.
Your Canes just gave us a heart attack, bless their hearts Alright, y'all, let's talk about something that had me screaming at my television screen Saturday night. Our Carolina Hurricanes, my sweet C...
Someone shot lawyers on Salisbury Street. What happened?
Someone just shot lawyers outside a Raleigh courthouse, y'all I'm telling you, the news out of downtown Raleigh yesterday has got everyone talking, and bless their hearts, it's just a mess. You've go...
Your Amazon driver hit a dog. Guess what happened next?
Your Amazon driver hit a dog and what happened next... Y'all, I'm telling you, sometimes life in the Triangle throws you a curveball you just don't see coming. You’re minding your own business, maybe...
Your Raleigh property taxes could change soon. Are you ready?
Your property taxes might be changing, y'all Now, I'm telling you, North Carolina is always cookin' up something down at the General Assembly building, but this latest talk about constitutional amend...
Your grocery run might get a lot more interesting, Raleigh.
Your grocery store might sell bourbon and ginger soon, bless your heart. Now look, y'all, I know we all love our beer and wine at the Harris Teeter down the street, especially on a Sunday when you ju...
Your I-440 commute just got a little easier, bless its heart.
Your I-440 commute is about to get a little easier, bless its heart Y'all, I know it feels like we just did this, but guess what? That stretch of I-440 and Western Boulevard that had us all doing men...
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